Stephen Webster, Mount Street

Designed by Guy Hollaway Interiors, Stephen Webster’s new jewellery salon sits discreetly tucked away on the second floor of 130 Mount Street in Mayfair.

‘But why the hide-and-seek discretion for such a flamboyant designer’ asks Suzy Menkes of Voque. "In our original Mount Street boutique, clients always sat in the VIP area at the back, even when they came as a group," he continued. "And in Beverly Hills, more shopping is done in the upstairs 'No Regrets' lounge than in the store. In response to this, we have removed the potential intrusion of a door on the street." Stephen explains.

Working with Stephen Webster, Guy Hollaway Interiors has transformed the Grade II Listed building into two distinctive rooms; creating an intimate space for private shopping experiences, entertaining clients and hosting parties, as if they were in Stephen’s home.

The first room, designed to be contemporary and vibrant yet minimal, allows the client to view Stephen’s finest jewellery collections in a gallery-like space. Wall hung artwork and a taxidermy swan by David WildArt brings the space to life while a textured panel desk by artist Alex Turco, from his Agate Mineral Collection, provides interest and creates a work space.

Beautiful white showcases mounted on rose gold legs house the jewellery collections exhibited within. The bespoke showcases, designed by Guy Hollaway, display a subtle hint to the Webster ‘W’ within the design.

The second room, designed for entertaining and housing couture pieces, allows the client to relax and gain a sense of Stephen’s personal style in a luxurious lounge-like space. A mixture of velvet, suede, leather and walnut are used to create depth. References to precious stones including; the gold ‘nugget’ chandelier by Fredrikson Stallard, which is hung centrally in the bay window suspended above the seating area, reflect the raw materiality of jewellery and create a focal point.

A cupboard concealed by an antique mirrored wall houses a versatile bespoke dining table which can be erected for dinner parties. The antique mirrored wall adds character to the room; magnifying and reflecting the event that is happening within the space. The table, fully movable and extendable, was designed in walnut and gold materials to create a relationship between the gold meteorite chandelier and the table.

To the right of the room sits a cabinet of curiosities. The cabinet is full of pieces of taxidermy, rare stones, and a selection of Stephen’s favourite books and personal memorabilia that he has collected over the years. The detail in the cabinet adds to the processes and history of Stephen Webster, allowing the client to be immersed into his story.

The ‘no front door’ location, overlooking Berkeley Square, was designed to be relaxing while interesting and reflective of Stephen’s personality.

On entering the salon you are greeted by selected pieces from Stephen’s old store - a ‘Lord Carter’ chandelier by Mark Brazier-Jones, made from a contemporary nickel-plated metal and glass lens; a mirror printed with art work by Rory Dobner exclusively for Stephen Webster, art work commissioned to illustrate previous collections and an entrance console table by Tom Faulkner. All items are in a dark rich bronze metal finish. Stephen’s old style and objects are used to gently submerge the client through the transition of old gothic to new, while pattern placement on the herringbone classic style flooring gives a direction to guide the client through the space.

Exhibited around the light flooded salon is Stephen’s personal collection of art work, including six hand-drawn woodland creatures by Artist and long-time friend Tracey Emin. The six art pieces are befittingly installed above Stephen and Tracey’s collaborative jewellery collection ‘I Promise To Love You’, designed earlier this year, are taking inspiration from Emin’s iconic neon works.

Among other works currently on display is PONY, a hand knotted Tibetan wool rug by Alexander McQueen.

"The new area is artistic, it's a reflection of my studio - where people love to come - and my home," Stephen said. "In both places I have artwork by many other people. I have built this up over time. I deliberately decorated the new space in a way that I can add to it as I feel fit. This way the evolution will be more authentic and in a way homely - and everyone likes to feel at home."

‘The London showroom is definitely a template for further such spaces in other markets’ Stephen claims